3.2 Station Access and Parking 3.2 Station Access and Parking A. INTRODUCTION NEW JERSEY Potential Build and No Build Alternative additions to certain parking facilities at NJ TRANSIT commuter rail stations are considered in this section. Parking at stations is provided by NJ TRANSIT, municipalities, and/or private operators throughout New Jersey. In Orange and Rockland Counties in New York, station parking is provided in coordination with Metro-North Railroad. Orange and Rockland Counties are assessed in this section because the parking analysis is based on NJ TRANSIT line segment, i.e., those groupings of stations that share similar service patterns and are close to one another (Figure 3.2-1). The analysis was completed at the segment level rather than at the station level, given the close station spacing (e.g., many stations are within 1 to 2 miles of each other), population densities in northern and central New Jersey and the connectivity of the local and regional roadway network throughout New Jersey. Because some NJ TRANSIT rail lines are located close to each other, passengers can choose between two rail lines depending on the availability of parking. This situation occurs with the individual Main and Bergen County Line segments, and also applies to other locations, such as stations along the Gladstone Branch and the Raritan Valley Line. As a result, shortfalls in parking demand can realistically be addressed at any station within a given segment, using a range of options from new construction of spaces to increased transit access, such as expansion of bus lines or implementation of community shuttle services. Estimates for future No Build and Build Alternatives have been updated for the 2030 analysis year. The change to 2030 results in changed demand for parking facilities based upon revised growth assumptions adopted by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, as well as modifications in the Build Alternative service plan. The service plan is presented in greater detail in Section 3.1. NEW YORK The Build Alternative would not result in increased demand for parking in New York City. The project could, by attracting current auto commuters to the rail transit mode, result in a lowering of parking demand throughout midtown Manhattan. For the purposes of this analysis, it was assumed that the project’s effect on the demand for parking in the New York portion of the project area would be neutral, i.e., no increase and no decrease. The Build Alternative could, however, affect the supply of off-street parking spaces in the vicinity of PSNY. This condition could occur because the ADA Access/Emergency Personnel Access elevator entrance (employee use only) site, located on the block bounded by Eighth and Ninth Avenues and West 34th and West 35th Streets, is currently occupied by a 500-space parking garage, including a rental car facility. The relationship between off-street parking supply and demand in the project area under Existing Conditions, and the 2030 No Build and Build Alternatives, during the midday, evening and overnight periods is considered in this section. 3.2-1 To Port Jervis (Orange County) - See Inset Rockland Sussex New York F A D Inset Bergen Passaic G B C E I Warren Morris H n a t t a h n a Frank R. M Lautenberg Station New Jersey K J Union R O S New York T Hunterdon L Somerset P Middlesex M Princeton Pennsylvania Branch Mercer Q Monmouth N Legend A - Outer Main/Bergen (Suffern to Glen Rock) K - Gladstone Branch B - Bergen County Line (Radburn and East) L - Inner NJCL Ocean C - Main Line (Hawthorne and East) M - Middle NJCL D - Outer PVL (River Edge and West) N - Outer NJCL E - Inner PVL (North Hackensack and East) O - Inner NEC F - Port Jervis P - Middle NEC Access to the Region’s Core G - Outer Montclair-Boonton Q - Outer NEC Final Environmental Impact Statement H - Inner Montclair-Boonton R - Inner RVL I - Outer Morristown S - Middle RVL J - Inner Morristown T - Outer RVL Figure 3.2-1 NJ TRANSIT Rail Line Segments and Station Groupings Source: Transit Link Consultants, 2008 Not to Scale 3.2: Station Access and Parking B. EXISTING CONDITIONS NEW JERSEY Each of NJ TRANSIT’s commuter rail lines has been divided into either two or three line segments with similar characteristics. Branch lines, such as the Gladstone and Port Jervis lines, were considered as a single segment, and are listed separately (Figure 3.2-1). Table 3.2-1 summarizes by line segment the total available off-street parking spaces and utilization levels based on 2004 data. Utilization of parking varies widely throughout the rail network based on a number of factors, such as the level of rail service, development patterns around stations, and availability of local feeder transit. Based on current capacity and utilization, the various line segments and branches show a range of utilization from 97 percent on the Inner Morristown segment to 31 percent on the Inner Montclair-Boonton Line. In the case of the Inner Montclair-Boonton Line, the availability of parking reflects the recent addition of 1,500 parking spaces at Montclair State University in Little Falls. TABLE 3.2-1: EXISTING PARKING CAPACITY AND UTILIZATION ON NJ TRANSIT LINE SEGMENTS (2004) Rail Line/Line Segment Parking Capacity Parking Usage Utilization Main/Bergen Outer Main/Bergen (Suffern to Glen Rock) 3,785 2,240 59% Bergen County (Radburn and East) 780 490 63% Main (Hawthorne and East) 1,525 750 49% Pascack Valley Outer Pascack Valley (River Edge and West) 2,580 1,650 64% Inner Pascack Valley (No. Hackensack and East) 590 480 81% Port Jervis 2,890 1,450 50% Montclair-Boonton Outer Montclair-Boonton 1,240 720 58% Inner Montclair-Boonton 2,570 790 31% Morristown Outer Morristown 3,770 2,860 76% Inner Morristown 3,310 3,220 97% Gladstone Branch 1,730 1,400 81% North Jersey Coast Inner North Jersey Coast 790 700 89% Middle North Jersey Coast 6,320 5,340 84% Outer North Jersey Coast 1,270 800 63% Northeast Corridor Inner Northeast Corridor 2,030 1,580 78% Middle Northeast Corridor 7,850 7,030 90% Outer Northeast Corridor 9,300 8,420 91% Raritan Valley Inner Raritan Valley 1,110 760 68% Middle Raritan Valley 1,520 1,350 89% Outer Raritan Valley 2,060 1,490 72% Source: 2004 NJ TRANSIT Parking Guide, Metro-North, and NJ TRANSIT Project Planning data 3.2-3 Access to the Region’s Core FEIS In support of the growth in commuter rail demand, NJ TRANSIT evaluates and plans for increased station access through its Station Access Program (SAP). The SAP includes the following strategies: • Expanding existing parking facilities • Developing new parking facilities • Providing bus and community shuttle access • Improving bus/rail coordination • Enhancing pedestrian and bicycle pathways. The NJ TRANSIT Community Bus Shuttle program works with local municipalities and counties to provide local feeder bus services to commuter rail and light rail stations. NJ TRANSIT criteria for evaluating proposed Community Bus Shuttle proposals include the transit access options or problems that the service would help solve, a community’s demonstrated administrative ability to market and carry out the project, financial commitment, and operational capability. NJ TRANSIT has a well-established process for selecting parking sites or expanding existing parking or adding feeder bus services, and for conducting the appropriate environmental reviews in cooperation with local communities. This process would be followed to identify station-specific locations for parking along each of its rail lines, and to evaluate potential impacts of that additional parking beyond the project area. Projects would be developed in cooperation with local officials and advanced through the full relevant environmental review process. The review would include appropriate analyses of traffic, land use, and air quality. Details of the SAP are available upon request from NJ TRANSIT. NEW YORK In New York, the off-street parking study area extends from Tenth Avenue to the west, Sixth Avenue/Broadway to the east, West 39th Street to the north and West 28th Street to the south, as shown on Figure 3.3-A in Appendix 3.3. There are 74 off-street parking garages/lots in the off-street parking study area, which coincides with the traffic study area, containing approximately 9,622 parking spaces. These facilities serve commercial and retail establishments and attractions such as Madison Square Garden. As shown in Table 3-2.2 utilization of these spaces varies by time of day and day of week. On weekdays, the midday utilization rate is approximately 82 percent, leaving a surplus capacity of 1,690 spaces. Several of these facilities close by evening, and many are closed to overnight users. Accordingly, the supply during these periods is less than the 9,622 spaces available during the business day. On weekday evenings and overnight, the utilization rates are 42 percent and 28 percent, respectively, with corresponding surplus (or available) capacity of 5,046 spaces in the evening and 3,459 spaces overnight. TABLE 3.2-2: EXISTING PARKING CAPACITY AND UTILIZATION – NEW YORK PROJECT AREA Utilization 2004 Available Capacity Rate Demand Capacity Weekday Midday (12:00 PM – 2:00 PM) Existing Parking Facilities 9,622 82% 7,932 1,690 Weekday Overnight (12:00 AM – 5:00 AM) Existing Parking Facilities 4,819 28% 1,360 3,459 Weekday Evening (6:00 PM – 9:00 PM) Existing Parking Facilities 8,654 42% 3608 5,046 Source: Transit Link Consultants, 2008; No. 7 Line – Hudson Yards Rezoning FGEIS, 2004 3.2-4 3.2: Station Access and Parking C. FUTURE NO BUILD CONDITIONS NEW JERSEY For evaluation of station parking conditions under the No Build Alternative, NJ TRANSIT ridership growth projections were compared with parking supply increases anticipated by NJ TRANSIT without the Build Alternative.